Relationship Between Hunger and Obesity

The extent of research on food insecurity and obesity has grown considerably since 1995, when a leading pediatrician published a medical case report that proposed a relationship between hunger and obesity (Dietz, 1995).

At first, the relationship between food insecurity and obesity was considered counterintuitive and labeled a paradox. This was due, in part, to our limited understanding of the causes and consequences of food insecurity. But now, with a more extensive research base and comprehensive conceptual framework, researchers conclude that the “coexistence of food insecurity and obesity is expected given that both are consequences of economic and social disadvantage” (Frongillo & Bernal, 2014).